Governor Tim Walz met with Finland's Consul General and Ambassador Mika Koskinen to discuss business and economic opportunities between Minnesota and Finland. The meeting was a follow up to the Governor's trade mission to Helsinki in November 2021.
"I was honored to welcome Ambassador Koskinen to Minnesota and build on the economic partnership we established during our trade mission to Finland in November," said Walz. "We continued our productive conversations about our shared interests to expand economic opportunities, improve health, and increase environmental sustainability."
The visit from the Finnish delegation follows the Governor's trade mission to Finland to increase partnership between the two economies. Minnesota and Finland have also signed a joint Letter of Understanding between Minnesota and Finland focused on increasing cooperation in research and development of sustainable technologies to mitigate climate change, promote environmental remediation and advance green sustainable growth. A delegation from Health Capital Helsinki visited Minnesota in May to meet with medical technology and health system leaders to further the cooperation and exchanges in the health field.
The meeting also included leadership from Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development and Department of Agriculture, Ministerial Adviser, Food Department/Food Safety Unit at the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and representatives from the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C. After the meeting, the Governor and Ambassador Koskinen joined a reception with the visiting delegation of Finnish businesses and the Minnesota delegates from the Governor's trade mission.
Minnesota's global exports include:
- Minnesota's global exports of goods were valued at almost $24 billion in 2021, up 17% since 2020.
- Top exported products include electrical equipment, mineral fuels, oils, vehicles and machinery.
- Finland and Minnesota each have innovative health care sectors that boast strong exports.
Minnesota is home to U.S. operations of several Finnish companies, including Uponor, UPM and Trustmary. Uponor North America was awarded the Governor's International Trade Award for Foreign Direct Investment in 2019. All of Uponor's North American manufacturing operations are located in Minnesota.
Categories: Minnesota, Government & Policy